Wire-feeding mechanism.



C. F. BMLEY.

WIRE FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 6. 1916. 3}; 9 98% Patented Aug %3, 19155 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

(In F. BMLEY.

WIRE FEEDING MECHANISM.

AFPUCATION FILED OCT-6.1916.

Patented Aug 13; 39%" 3 SHEETSSHEET 3- fl d ttti

htdlltllt l? adl lilhltll GHARLEtE F. BAILEY, @lt" PEQRIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOH TO KEYSTONE tE'FLEEL it "illl'flIi'tE COMPANY, U3 @Etlllttllit, ILLINOIS, A CORPQRATIUN 01E XLLEIN'UI wrnn-rnnnrne MECHANI$M.

application filed Gotober 6,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Crrannns F. Barrier, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of llllinois, have invented new and useful improvements in WireFeeding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to certain new and useful improvements in wire work-l ing machines, and particularly to that type of fabricating machines used in the manufacture of farm, field and poultry fences.

@ne of the obj ects'of the present invention is to improve the stay wire feeding mechanism shown in the patent issued to W. H. Sommer, No. 1,093,578, dated April it, 1914:. in the Sommer patentreferred to the cooperating friction feeding" wheels are driven by a clutch controlled gear wheel. My invention contemplates the use of friction feeding wheels, and the doing away of the clutch controlled driving means, and the operation of one of the friction feeding wheels by-a driving means which will retate said feeding wheel first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, or, in other words, alternately rotate said feeding wheel in opposite directions; the coacting feeding wheel arranged to he moved into operative relation with the alternately rotating feeding wheel at the beginning of each rotation of said feeding wheel in a direction for feeding a stay wire into the machine.

' The invention has for a further object to provide a pair of feeding wheels which are adapted to co-act upbn a stay feed wire; one of said feeding Wheels adapted to be driven by means which will alternately rotate said feeding wheel first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, and in the employment of means for moving the other feedingwheel into operative relation with said driven wheel'each time said feeding wheel is rotated in a direction to feed the stay-feed wire, and for moving said feed wheel out of operative relation with said driven feed wheel each time said feed wheel is rotated in a non-feeding direction, and for clamping fit) the stay feed wire when said feeding Wheels are in non-operative relation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pairof feeding wheels, driv- Specification of Letters Patent.

1918. Serial No. 124L110.

gear wheel, and means for rotating said driving gear wheel alternately in opposite directions, said driving gear wheel being geared to one of saidfeeding wheels whereby said feeding wheel will be caused to rotate alternately in opposite directions with said driving gear wheel, and means for moving said other feed wheel into operative relation with said driving feed wheel trated in a fragmentary way only, it heing understood that the invention is applicable to various types of fence machines, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the application of the invention to any particu :lar type of machine.

Figure l is a partial plan view of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of F ig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view as the same would appear if taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view partially in section showing the feeding wheels and cooperating parts, and

Fig. 5 is a detailed side elevation partly in section of the means for moving; one of the feeding wheels into and out of operative relation with the other feeding wheel and the clamping means for the wire.

The framework of the machine comprises in part the base members 1, the upright 2 supporting the table 3; the standards t, 5 and 6, and the cross piece 7; The parts designated 1, 2, 5, and 6 are duplicated upon opposite sides of the machine, and on the base members i may he supported a platform (not shown) on which an operator may stand.

8 designates a timing; shaft adapted to he driven in a suitable manner from a driving shaft, not shown, and 9 designates a crank shaft suitably journaled in the frame of the machine, and on said crankshaft Mill eas es again impinge upon the stay feed wire A.

' lower end of this shaft is carried a gear and coiiper'ate with the feed roll 14, feeding in a stay length of said stay feed wire.

When the feeding wheel 15 is moved out i of operative relation with the feeding wheel it, in the manner described, it is desirable to clamp thestay feed Wire A- against forward or rearward movement, and this is accomplished by means of a plunger 38 connected with a stem 39 having a bearing in a suitable frame part of the machine, a spring t0 being coiled about the stem of the plunger and bearingagainst said plunger and a shoulder on the frame part to hold said plunger in a forward yielding position, locking nuts ll being used to adjust the position of said plunger. When the stem 27 is moved outwardly through the action of the lever 29 when the rollerll rides onto the peripheral surface 87 of the cam 32, it will move the tubular part 21 and its bush ing 22 toward the end of the plunger 38 and cause the stay feed wire A to be firmly clamped between the end of the plunger and the bearing surface 26 of the bushing 22, the plunger having abearing on the shoulder Q5 of the bushing as said bushing is moved. it will therefore be seen that simultaneously with the movement of the feeding wheel 15 out of operative relation with the feeding wheel 14: the stay feed wire A will be clamped and positively held until it is desirable to feed another stay length across the machine, and at this moment, when the v feeding wheel 15 is returned to its coiipcra tive relation with the feeding wheel l-l, the stay feed wire A is released from its clamp to permit it to be fed into the machine by means of the stay feeding Wheels 14 and 15.

The stay feeding wheel 14- is in continuous operation during the operation of the machine and said feeding wheel 14 is positively actuated, being alternately rotated first in one direction and then in an opposite direction. The feeding Wheel it being rotated to the right, looking at Fig. l, it will, assisted by the feeding wheel 15 feed the stay feed wire A a sufficient distance across the machine to provide a stay wire or stay length adapted to be attached to the strand or line wires of the fence. immediately upon a stay wire or stay length being fed across the machine, the feeding wheel 15 is moved out of operative relation withthe feeding wheel 1t, and the direction of rotation of said-feeding wheel 14iis reversed. To operate the feeding wheel '14- l provide a preferably vertically disposed tubular shaft 42 journaled in suitable bearings on the machine. (in the wheel :3 in mesh with a raclcbar 4A. 0n the upper end of said shaft 42 is an annular plate to having a hub ltl lreyed or otherwise suitably secured to said shaft. This annu tion when the rod 63 is operated for the pt 1 lar plate 45 is provided with an annular shoulder l7 removed a short distance in \vardly from the periphery of the plate to form a seat 48 to receive an annular flange l9 disposed inwardly of a ring 50 formed on its periphery with teeth 51 adapted to mesh in the teeth of the gear wheel 17. This ring 50, which in reality is a gear, has its connection with the shaft 42' through the plate 45, the ring 50 being placed upon the plate 45 and locked in position thereon by means of bolts 52, said bolts passing through the plate l5 and through a bar 53 which is locked against the upper surfaces of the plate 45 and the annular tlange' ltl of the ring 50, said flange having a bearing upon the seat 48 and against the shoulder l7 of said ring 50.

The object of making this ring or gear wheel 50 in the form in which it is shown in the drawings is for the purpose of adjusting the driving feeding wheel leiand to take up any wear occasioned by the continuous engagement of one portion of the peripheral surface of said feed wheel it with the stay feed wire. By releasing the nuts on the bolts 52 the ring- 50 may be slipped around on the ring. lin this way the feeding wheel itmay be adjustedto present a new Wearing surface on the stay feed wire.

The rack-bar M. which is in mesh with the gear wheel 43 carried on the lower end of the shaft 4-2, and by means of which movement is transmitted to said shaft, is movable in a guide 5t coincident with the gear wheel 43, and at its inner end said rack-bar ll is secured to a slidable head 55 lmving. preferably, a dovetailed connection with and movable on a bar supported by a'bracket 57 at one end secured to the part it, see Fig. 2, and at its opposite end secured upon an arm 58 attached to the upright ally connected at 59 with the slidable head 55 is a pitman bar or rod 60, and said bar 60 has pivotal connection at 61 with a nut 62. This nut (32 is carried upon a threaded rod 63, which said rod is in turn carried or disposed in a longitudinal opening Gt formed in a crank arm 65 carried by the crank shaft 9, see Fig. 2. The threaded rod 63 at its outer end passes through a cap plate 66 and has a squared end 67, whereby 'a suitable tool may be used to engage the end 6'2 of the rod 63 for turning said rod and thereby adjusting the nut 62 on the said rod. lit is understood, although not shown, that the nut 62 is carried in the opening (it of the crank arm 65 in the manner which will prevent its ro pose of adjusting said nut ("5% baclr and forth on the rod 63. The cranlt arm 65 rotates with the shaft 9 and it is obvious Pivotthat if the nut 62 is adjusted toward and from the axis of the shart 9, the stroke of the rack-bar 44: will be in turn adjusted. In other words, the closer to the axis of the shaft 9 is carried the nut 62, the shorter the stroke of the rack-bar 4A, and the farther from the axis of the said shaft 9, the greater the stroke of the rack-bar 44. The rack-bar and the operating connections between said raclebar and the crank arm on the crank shaft 9 do not differ materially, either in construction or operation, from the similar mechanism shown in the Sommer Patent 1,093,578 above referred to, and particularly in Fig. 2 of said patent,

What I claim is 1. In a fence machine, in combination, a pair of feeding wheels, a driving means for one of said wheels which will alternately rotate said wheel in opposite directions, and means for moving said other feeding wheel into operative relation with said first feeding wheel as it is rotated in one direction and for moving said feeding Wheel out of operative relation with said first feeding wheel as it is rotated in an opposite direction. a

2. in a fence machine in combination, a pair of feeding wheels, a driving means for one of said wheels wnich will alternately rotate said wheel in opposite directions, means for moving said other feeding wheel into operative relation with said first feeding wheel as it is rotated in one direction and for moving said feeding wheel out of operative relation with said first feeding wheel as it is rotated in an opposite direc- "tion, and means for clamping the wire to be fed by said feeding wheels when said feeding wheels are in non-eoactive relation with said wire.

3. In a fence machine, in combination, a

pair of feeding wheels, one of said feeding wheels havin a relativel I fixed osition on said machine, a driving means for said wheel which will alternately rotate the same in opposite directions, a movable support on which said other feeding wheel is journaled, and means for moving said sup ort to present the feeding wheel journa ed thereon into operative relation with said first feeding wheel as it is rotated in a feeding direction, and for moving said support and said feeding wheel out of operative relation with said first feeding wheel as it is rotated in a on-feeding direction.

4. In a fence machine, in combination, a pair of feeding wheels, a rack-bar geared to one of said wheels to rotate said feeding wheel alternately in opposite directions, means for reciprocating said rack-bar, and means for moving said other feeding wheel into operative relation with said first feeding wheel as it is rotated in a feeding direction and for moving. said other feeding wheel out of operative relation with said first feeding wheel as it rotated in a nonfeeding direction, a wire guide, and means co-actin with said wire uide to clamo the" wire as said first feeding wheel is rotated in a non-feeding direction.

5. In a fence machine, in combination, a pair of feeding wheels, means for rotating one of said wheels in a feeding direction and alternately in a reverse direction, and means for moving said other wheel into wire coacting relation with said first-mentioned feeding wheel coincidently with the rotation of said feeding wheel in a feeding direction, and for moving said second wheel out of wire coacting relation with said firstmentioned feeding wheel coincidently with the reversing of the same.

6, In a fence machine, in combination, a pair of feeding wheels, a gear wheel connected to one of said wheels, a shaft, a gear wheel on said shaft in mesh with said feed ing wheel gear, a rack-bar geared to said shaft, a crank-shaft, connections between said crank-shaft and said rack-bar for reciprocating said rack-bar, and means for moving said other feeding wheel into and out of wire coacting relation with said first feeding wheel, the movement of said second. feeding wheel out of wire coacting relation with said first feeding Wheel occurring coincidently with the reversing of said first feeding wheel.

7. In a fence machine, in combination, a pair of'feeding wheels, one a driver and the other a driven wheel, said driving wheel including an annular plate member and a ring-gear, means for adjusting said ringgear on said annular plate, means for alternately rotating said driving Wheel in a feedinn direction and in a reverse direction, and means for moving said driven wheel out of wire coacting relation with said driving wheel coincidently with the reversing of the same.

CHARLES F. BAILEY. 

